UC Merced vs University of Minnesota-Rochester

Envision yourself pursuing higher education at either the University of California-Merced or the University of Minnesota-Rochester. While both institutions offer exceptional academic opportunities, they possess distinct characteristics that may influence your decision. UC-Merced boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students to embark on their academic journey. In contrast, UMN-Rochester's smaller student body fosters a close-knit community. Explore the comparison table to delve into further details, such as popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Discover which university aligns best with your aspirations and aspirations and find the perfect fit for your educational journey.

	University of California-Merced	University of Minnesota-Rochester
Overview
Location	Merced, California	Rochester, Minnesota
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	75.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	86.6%	80.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120	$30
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score		1.0%
Students submitting ACT score		30.0%
Total number of applicants	27,793	1,123
Total number of admissions given out	24,068	901
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,410	174
Yield rate	10.0%	19.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $28,870 Out of state: $58,624	$28,426
Average net price	$11,586	$14,198
Tuition	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196	$12,376
Room & board	$18,901
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	92.0% Average amount $21,623	74.0% Average amount $11,299
Students receiving federal student loan	18.0% Average amount $4,470	52.0% Average amount $5,132
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $2,687	13.0% Average amount $12,843

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,321 Men 47.7% Women 52.3%	646 Men 20.6% Women 79.4%
Graduate students	772 Men 55.8% Women 44.2%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	0.2%	22.5%
International students	8.7%	0.5%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	3,634	334
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Alaska Idaho Missouri Texas	Minnesota Wisconsin North Dakota California Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Physical Science Social Sciences English Language and Literature Psychology	Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	71.6%	46.6%
Dropout rate	5.0%	6.8%
Transferred out	22.6%	46.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,675 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $68,164 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,936 Year 2: $51,392 Year 3: $67,761 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,771 Year 2: $43,000 Year 3: $57,642 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,420 Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $53,045 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,245 Year 2: $41,937 Year 3: $50,288 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,755 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $49,047 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,917 Year 2: $38,721 Year 3: $47,958 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,685 Year 2: $31,391 Year 3: $43,274 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,397 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $42,368 Cognitive Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,909 Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: $40,928	Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,065 Year 2: $49,270 Year 3: $62,760

University of California-Merced

University of Minnesota-Rochester

Overview

Location

Merced, California

Rochester, Minnesota

Campus setting

Rural: Fringe

City: Midsize

College type

4 year

Control/business model

Public

Calendar system

Semester

Degrees offered

Undergraduate and Graduate

Undergraduate

Students retention rate

79.0%

75.0%

Common app member

Yes

Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate

86.6%

80.2%

Application fees

Undergraduate: $70

Graduate: $120

$30

SAT range

N/A

ACT range

N/A

22 - 29

Students submitting SAT score

1.0%

Students submitting ACT score

30.0%

Total number of applicants

27,793

1,123

Total number of admissions given out

24,068

901

Admitted students who chose to enroll

2,410

174

Yield rate

10.0%

19.3%

Test scores (SAT/ACT)

N/A

High school GPA

Required

Recommendation letters

Not required

High school transcript

Not required

English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)

Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price

In state: $28,870

Out of state: $58,624

$28,426

Average net price

$11,586

$14,198

Tuition

In state: $11,442

Out of state: $41,196

$12,376

Room & board

$18,901

Available payment plans

Tuition payment plan

Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

92.0%

Average amount $21,623

74.0%

Average amount $11,299

Students receiving federal student loan

18.0%

Average amount $4,470

52.0%

Average amount $5,132

Students taking out private loans

1.0%

Average amount $2,687

13.0%

Average amount $12,843

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students

8,321

Men 47.7% Women 52.3%

646

Men 20.6% Women 79.4%

Graduate students

772

Men 55.8% Women 44.2%

N/A

Racial/ethnic diversity

Low

Moderate

Out-of-state students

0.2%

22.5%

International students

8.7%

0.5%

Campus local/setting

Rural: Fringe

City: Midsize

Dormitory capacity

3,634

334

First year students are required to live on campus?

Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from

California Alaska Idaho Missouri Texas

Minnesota Wisconsin North Dakota California Illinois

Academics

Popular study areas

Engineering
Physical Science
Social Sciences
English Language and Literature
Psychology

Health Professions

Students to faculty ratio

19:1

16:1

Institutional accreditation

Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate

71.6%

46.6%

Dropout rate

5.0%

6.8%

Transferred out

22.6%

46.6%

Alumni salary by major (Top 10)

Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $54,675
Year 2: $55,286
Year 3: $68,164

Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $55,936
Year 2: $51,392
Year 3: $67,761

Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $30,771
Year 2: $43,000
Year 3: $57,642

Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $38,420
Year 2: $39,729
Year 3: $53,045

Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $41,245
Year 2: $41,937
Year 3: $50,288

Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $32,755
Year 2: N/A
Year 3: $49,047

Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $40,917
Year 2: $38,721
Year 3: $47,958

Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $29,685
Year 2: $31,391
Year 3: $43,274

Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $37,397
Year 2: $29,685
Year 3: $42,368

Cognitive Science (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $27,909
Year 2: $28,960
Year 3: $40,928

Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $41,065
Year 2: $49,270
Year 3: $62,760